#BlackGirlMagic: Gabrielle Douglas Kicks Off Olympic Year With A 2016 American Cup Win

Gabrielle Douglas – #BlackGirlMagic representative – had a noteworthy start to the year on Saturday (Mar. 5). Snatching the win at the 2016 American Cup, the 20-year-old history-maker prefaced her goal to make history yet again this year at the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games this summer.

Douglas faced a few setbacks leading up to her next attempt at the gold medal, including injuries that placed gymnastics on hold, and severed ties with her former coach Liang Chow. But neither of those stopped her from her winning total of 60.165 at the American Cup, edging out Maggie Nichols and Canada’s Elsabeth Black in every category except the floor exercise. Douglas is now looking to become the the first woman to win a gold medal in back-to-game Olympics since 1968.

“From the bottom of my heart, I really believe that I can achieve more,” Douglas said. “And it’s just not for the wrong intentions. I’m like, ‘Guys, I’m back. I’m serious.’ I feel like gradually and the more and more I keep proving that, I really hope that people believe it.”

Though she has already staked her claim on the history books by becoming the first black woman to win the individual all-around gold, Douglas has an obstacle in her way this time around: 18-year-old shoe-in Simone Biles, who has been deemed “unbeatable.” But it looks like Douglas ain’t got no worries just yet.

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The 2020 NBA season could be headed for a revival. The league is in talks with Disney World to potentially restart what's left of the 2019-2020 season this summer, the NBA confirmed on Saturday (May 23).

“The NBA, in conjunction with the National Basketball Players Association, is engaged in exploratory conversations with The Walt Disney Company about restarting the 2019-20 NBA season in late July at Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Florida as a single site for an NBA campus for games, practices and housing,” NBA Chief Communications Officer Mike Bass said in a statement.

“Our priority continues to be the health and safety of all involved, and we are working with public health experts and government officials on a comprehensive set of guidelines to ensure that appropriate medical protocols and protections are in place.”

The NBA was forced into cancellation amid the COVID-19 outbreak, specifically after Utah Jazz player, Rudy Gobert, contracted coronavirus and exposed several other plays to the disease, including teammate Donavan Mitchell.

Since then, several former and current NBA players have tested positive for COVID-19, the most recent being basketball great Patrick Ewing.

“This virus is serious and should not be taken lightly,” Ewing said upon announcing his health diagnosis over the weekend. “I want to encourage everyone to stay safe and take care of yourselves and your loved ones.”

The NBA is uniting to support Minnesota Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns, after his team has announced that his mother Jacqueline Towns has died from complications from COVID-19. She had battled the disease for a month before passing away on Monday (April 13).

"Jackie was many things to many people - a wife, mother, daughter, grandmother, sister, aunt, and friend," said a Towns family spokesperson in a statement released by the Timberwolves. "The matriarch of the Towns family, she was an incredible source of strength; a fiery, caring, and extremely loving person, who touched everyone she met. Her passion was palpable and her energy will never be replaced."

Towns' father, Karl Sr., also contracted COVID-19, but he has recovered from the disease.

On March 24, Towns released a video in which he revealed that his mother was placed into a medically-induced coma, and encouraged fans and viewers to take the coronavirus seriously.

Multiple players from the NBA, along with commentators and other members of the basketball community, have sent their condolences to Towns and his family.

Man... thoughts and prayers with you and the entire family @KarlTowns 🙏🏾

— Chris Paul (@CP3) April 13, 2020

Wow... I hope everybody is taking this pandemic seriously... Continue to Pray for every family through this tough time, and hold your Loved ones Close🙏🏽❤️

Colin Kaepernick is reportedly looking to return to the NFL by the start of the new football season. Kaepernick was trending on Twitter on Thursday (April 9) after a Sports Center parody account tweeted that he inked a one-year $9 million deal with the New York Jets.

The story was fake, but according to TMZ Sports, Kaepernick could be interested in becoming a member of the Jets team. While it’s not clear if the Jets would consider adding Kaepernick to the roster, the website claims that the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback plans to reach out to the Jets and other teams with hopes of getting him back on the field in time for the 2020 NFL season, which begins in September.

The 32-year-old athlete hasn’t played on a team since becoming a free agent in 2017, and devoting much of his time to social activism. In November, Kapernick participated in an ill-fated workout in front of multiple NFL teams.

“I’ve been ready for three years. I’ve been denied for three years,” Kaepernick said at the time. “So we are waiting for the 32 owners, 32 teams and [NFL commissioner] Roger Goodell to stop running. Stop running from the truth, stop running from the people. We are ready to play. We are ready to go anywhere.”